Senate President Ahmad Lawan on Wednesday decried the absence of some Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) expected at the sitting of the Senate Committee on Loans and Foreign Debt.

The MDAs were expected at the sitting to justify their inputs in the loan request of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said the senate would take appropriate actions if the ministries failed to appear within one week.

He listed the expected ministries to include: Power, Health, Environment, Women Affairs, Petroleum Resources, Water Resources and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).

Mr Lawan said the senate would not condone any sabotage to the efforts of the federal government to secure the loans to fund infrastructure that the country desperately needed.

He added that the National Assembly had approved the loan request, noting that there was the need for justification of the inputs of the ministries in the request.

Meanwhile, the Senate has adjourned plenary to November 9, following the passing of the 2022 Appropriation Act for second reading.

Mr Lawan said the adjournment would enable various committees to conduct budget defence by MDAs.

He urged the committees to be detailed in the scrutiny of MDAs’ budgets.

Budget defence by MDAs will begin on November 18. 

(NAN)